Car washing mat



NOV. 18, 1958 TETERS 2,860,357

CAR WASHING MAT Filed Oct. 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 77/1/29A? Tfe/v.

CAR WASHING MAT Tinie RLTeters, Fayette, M0.

Application October 10, 1955, Serial No. 539,430

1 Claim. ('Cl. 15-129) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in car washing mats of the type comprising a washing headadapted to be attached to a flexible conduit such as a hose, throughwhich the washing fluid is delivered to said head.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of a carwashing mat of the class described wherein said head includes acontainer of liquid detergent, or soap, and means for adding saiddetergent or soap automatically to the water delivered to said head, inthe correct. proportion.

Another object is the provision of a washing mat of the class describedincluding a generally planar scrubbing pad, and having novel meanswhereby the waterdetergent mixture is distributedevenly over the entiresurface of said pad.

A further object is the provision of a washing mat of the characterdescribed including a mixing chamber to which water and detergent arefed simultaneously and subjected to a high degree of turbulence, wherebya thorough admixture thereof is obtained.

A still further object is the provision of a washing mat of the classdescribed wherein the detergent chamber is provided with a normallyclosed outlet valve whereby to prevent wastage of the detergent when themat is not in use, said valve being opened automatically, and detergentdelivered therethrough to themixing chamber, by the pressure of waterdelivered to said head through said hose.

Still another object is the provision of means whereby the quantity ofdetergent delivered to the scrubbing pad, in proportion to the quantityof water may be closely regulated, whereby to maintain the proper ratiodespite variations of detergent concentration, viscosity, and othervariable conditions. i

Yet another object is the provision of a washing mat of the classdescribed wherein a portion of the water delivered to said head is notmixed with detergent, but is directed outwardly from said head instreams adjacent said scrubbing pad, whereby to rinse the surface justcleansed by said pad. This permits both scrubbing and rinsing with asingle application of the mat to the surface. The streams of clear watermay completely encircle the pad, so that the rinsing action will occurregardless of the direction in which the pad is moved over the surface.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, efficiency anddependability of operation, and adaptability for washing cars, buses,trucks, trolley cars or other vehicles, walls, or virtually any extendedsurface.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appearin the course of the specification, reference will be had to thedrawing, wherein:

Fig. I is a side elevational view of a car washing mat embodying thepresent invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II.II of Fig. 1,

nited States Patent 2,860,357 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 Fig. 3 is a faceview of the head of the washing mat,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line IVIV ofFig. 2, with parts left in elevation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line V--V ofFig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the severalviews, and the numeral 2 applies to the head of the mat. Said mat may beformed of metal, plastic, or other suitable material and comprises acircular back plate 4 and a circular face plate 6, of equal diameters.The face plate is substantially planar, but the back plate is concave,whereby to form a water chamher 8 therebetween. The edges of said platesare joined by a rubber snap ring 10 of C-shaped cross-section, whichengages lips 12 and 14 formed respectively about the peripheries of saidback and face plates. Said snap ring has sufficient strength to resistseparation of the plates due to water pressure in chamber 8, and makesgood sealing contact with said lips to prevent leakage.

A tubular handle 16 has fixed to an end thereof a yoke 18 having spacedapart flexible arms 20, each of said arms carrying at its free end anoutwardly opening socket 22. Said sockets engage respectively theopposed ends of a pair of coaxial lugs 24 and 26 formed integrally withback plate 4, whereby the handle may pivot freely with respect to thehead. The handle may be detached, if desired, simply by squeezing yokearms 20 toward each other to free sockets 22 from lugs 24 and 26.Ohviously, a handle of any desired length could be used, to gain accessto high or distant areas, or the handle shown could be provided withextensions. Water is supplied to water chamber 8 by means of hose 28through a hose fitting 30 disposed centrally of back plate 4. Said hosemay be extended through handle 16, as shown, to simplify handling of theimplement.

Face plate 6 has a circular flange 32 formed integrally andconcentrically therewith, extending from the outer face thereof. Saidflange is provided at its outer end with a radially extending lip 34,the purpose of which will appear below. The scrubbing pad 36 is circularand pliable, and may conveniently be formed of a piece of sheepskin withthe wool attached. The leather backing 38 of the pad has a plurality ofholes 40 punched therethrou'gh in regularly spaced relation over thearea of the pad. Sewed or otherwise secured to the edge of pad 36 is acloth tube 42 through which a drawstring 44 is threaded. Said drawstringis drawn tightly around flange 32 above lip 34, as shown in Fig. 4, andtied as shown at 46 in Fig. 3, to secure the pad rleasably to the head.The space between pad 36 and face plate 6 is substantially filled by acoarse, resilient sponge 48, the purpose and function of which will befully set forth below.

A mixing chamber 50 is disposed centrally of face plate 6. As best shownin Figs. 5 and 6, said chamber comprises a hollow cylindrical body 52formed integrally with said face plate, and extending on both sidesthereof. The end of said body extending toward pad 36 is fitted with ascrew cap 54 having apertures 56 formed therein. The end of said bodyprojecting into chamber 8 has an end wall 58 with an aperture 60 formedtherethrough, and extends through the wall of a sealed pliable sac orenvelope 62 disposed within chamber 8 and adapted to contain a liquiddetergent or soap. Said body is sealed in said sac wall by a sealingring 64. The inner end of aperture 60 is chamfered at 66 to form atapered valve seat in which a tapered valve 68 seats outwardly, beingurged to a closed position by a compression spring 70 bearing at one endagainst valve 68 and at its opposite end against screw cap 54,encircling a lug 72 formed integrally with said cap. Valve 68 isprovided with a cylin- 3 drical extension 74 which guides in apertures60, but has sufficient clearance therein to permit the flow of detergentthrough the aperture when valve 68 is open.

Lug 72 is centrally bored andtapped to receive a screw 76 which extendsaxially into the mixing chamber, and terminates in closely spacedrelation from a lug 78 depending from valve 68. It is apparent that byturning said screw, the maximum opening of said valve may be adjustablylimited. One or more holes 80 are formed through the mixing chamber Wallbetween face plate 6 and detergent sac 62. As shown in Fig. 6, said holeis disposed substantially tangentially to the mixing chamher.

A ring of rinse water holes 82 are formed through face plate 6 inoutwardly spaced relation from flange 32. These holes are so positionedthat streams of water projected outwardly therethrough will not contactpad 36.

In operation, with the parts in the position shown and with sac 62filled with a liquid detergent or soap, water under pressure isdelivered to the head through hose 28 from any suitable source. Waterentering chamber 8 of course tends to flow outwardly through holes 82.This is the rinse water. However, the number and size of holes 82 issuch that with ordinary flow rates a substantial back pressure will bebuilt up in chamber 8. This back pressure causes a relatively smallportion of the water in chamber 8 to be diverted through hole 80 intothe mixing chamber 52. Said mixing chamber being vented to theatmosphere through sponge 48 and pad 36, and since hole 80 is relativelyrestricted, the pressure in mixing chamber 52 will be lower than inchamber 8. This pressure differential compreses detergent sac 62,forcing valve 68 open against spring 70, and delivering detergentthrough aperture 60 to the mixing chamber, wherein it is thoroughlyintermixed with the water entering the chamber through hole 80. .Thismixture is aided by the whirling turbulence set up in the mixing chamberby the tangential position of hole 80, as shown in Fig. 6.

The water-detergent mixture then passes through holes 56 in cap 54 tosponge 48, and thence through pad holes 40 into the scrubbing pad.Sponge 48 is recurrently compressed and relaxed in the normal scrubbingmotion. This alternate compression and relaxation serves to distributethe detergent mixture evenly over the entire area of pad 36.

As the pad is moved over the surface being cleansed, streams of clearwater from holes 82 will always impinge on the surface just traversed bypad 36, regardless of the direction the pad is moved. The scrubbing andrinsing are thus accomplished by a single application of the mat. Thepad may of course be lifted from the surface if desired, in order topermit rinsing without scrubbing. Rubber ring 10 serves as a bumperpreventing marring of paint or other fragile surfaces.

It will be seen that for any given setting of screw 76, the valveopening and hole 80 remain constant, spring being compressed by theminimum pressure normally occurring in chamber 8. Thus the amount ofwater and detergent entering the mixing chamber will vary at leastapproximately proportionately to the delivery pressure, and the ratio ofmixture will remain substantially uniform at any flow rate. However, theratio of detergent to water for efficient operation may vary accordingto the type of soap or detergent used, its concentration or viscosity,water temperature, and other variables. This ratio may obviously bechanged by turning screw 76, which adjusts the opening limit of valve68. Access to this screw is had by removing pad 36 and sponge 48. Thedetergent sac 62 may be refilled by further removing cap 54 and valve68, whereupon detergent may be poured into the sac through aperture 60.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention,it will be apparent that many minor changes of structure and operationcould be made without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined by the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A fountain washing device comprising a head having a water chambertherein adapted to receive water under pressure, a pliable detergentcontainer disposed within said water chamber, a mixing chamber carriedby said head, said mixing chamber having outlet ports and a pair ofinlet ports interconnecting it respectively With said water chamber andsaid detergent container, and a substantially planar scrubbing padcarried by said head and interconnected with the outlet ports of saidmixing chamber, said head having a series of water outlet portsinterconnecting with said water chamber, said last named ports beingoperable to direct streams of Water outwardly from said pad in spacedrelation from the edges thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

